RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL:CHUMASH CANDESCENCE: PARASHA PEKUDEI: EXODUS 38:21 TO 40:38

CHUMASH CANDESCENCE
PARASHA PEKUDEI
EXODUS 38:21 TO 40:38
RABBI ARTHUR  SEGAL

"Clouds"

This week's parasha brings us to the end of the book of Exodus. A year
has  passed since the first Pesach and our deliverance from slavery in Egypt.
We have now become "avidim ha Shem," servants of God. So much has happened
during this year. We have been given the Torah, we sinned with the
Golden Calf, and the cult of sacrifice and the Cohan theocracy from Aaron has
been firmly established. All of our major pilgrimage holidays have been
commanded and our lunar calendar was promulgated. We have been awarded Shabbat.
We have constructed the Mishkan, the Tabernacle, as God's dwelling place
among us.

Pekudei means reckoning. Moses has made an accounting to the children of
Israel, of every shekel they have donated to build the Mishkan. Moses,
who was above suspicion of doing wrong, still wanted us to have no doubts
that  all of our monies went into the project. The Talmudic rabbis teach us
the concept of Marit Ayin from this telling. This phrase means "appearance to
the  eye." It was very important to our sages that not only should we do
good, but it should never even appear as if we could be doing bad.

 

The Midrash on these verses (Ex 38:21 to 38:29) says that Moses

did not have pockets in his clothes
so  that so no one could even hint at any gold going for his personal
use. We also learn the concept of Kedosh ha Shem, the sanctification of God's
name, that occurs when we do the good deeds that are expected from us.
Conversely, we are taught the opposite concept of Chilul ha Shem, the desecration of
God's name, when we behave badly.

 

All of our actions need to be good, and
we  are to avoid even looking as if we did wrong. We were elected to be God's
servants. This connects with the mitzvah of not putting a stumbling block
before the blind. How can our actions that we know are good, but may not
appear to be good (i.e., an Orthodox rebbe using a pay phone at a BBQ
restaurant), cause someone else to sin? The answer the rabbis teach
is that it can lead someone to either think that eating pulled pork or ribs
is  allowed, or cause someone to do loshan ha ra (gossip, also a sin).

Traditionally speaking, God has given us the Torah, which is our
instruction book for proper living and Good, Orderly Direction. How, we ask? With
Honesty, Open-mindedness, and Willingness to change for the better. We were not
asked by God to be spiritually perfect, but instead to make spiritual progress
in our lives. We are to remember to attempt to make all of our actions holy.

"The cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of God filled the
Tabernacle. Moses could not enter the Tent of Meeting, for the cloud
rested upon it, and the glory of God filled the Tabernacle" (Ex 40: 34
and 35).

 

"When the Kohanim left the Holy of Holies, the cloud filled the
House of God [Solomon's Temple]. The Kohanim were unable to stand and
minister because of the cloud and the glory of God filled the house of
God" (I Kings 8:10-11, Haftorah Pekudei). Do we as modern Jews need an
invitation to visit God? Both Moses and the descendants of Aaron
apparently
did. Can we not dwell with God as we daily do good deeds?

 

If we place the Mishkan in our own hearts, we can create a place where the quietness of
our  soul is welcome. We can find that deep peace at being one with God that
passes all understanding.

"But now they [clouds] only block the sun, they rain and snow on
everyone. So many things i would have done but clouds got in my
way.
I've looked at clouds from both sides now, from up and down, and
still
somehow, it's clouds' illusions I recall. I really don't know
clouds at
all (from "Both Sides Now" by Joni Mitchell,
sung by Judy Collins)

The gift of Shabbat helps us push away the barrier of clouds that at
one  time or another veil our vision. Shabbat is an infinite gift with in a
25-hour period. The building of the Mishkan represents the finite as
does  God's creation of the world. Kabbalistically the Mishkan and creation
are  Yesh m'ein , something from the Ein Sof [the Infinite Being].

They are finite things being  given to us by the infinite. If God is infinite, and He produces
something  finite, we know mathematically that anything added to infinity still
produces  a sum that is also infinite. The Zohar says that this concept is called
Tzimtzun, contraction. Creation is not an addition but in reality a
holding  back of the infinite and hence a small piece of the infinite God. During
the first six days of creation God actually is holding back. But on Shabbat,
He reverts back to a non-contraction state and hence Shabbat is
spiritually infinite.

 

 The Kabbalists teach that God is beyond time. Hence it was an
eternal Shabbat a second before God began creation. And when creation was
completed, God gave us a human taste of infinity with the weekly Sabbath.

Shabbat is our taste of infinity and provides spiritual renewal with God.
We then can push back the clouds that block our relationship with God, the
infinite. By doing this, we are also able to push back the clouds
that keep us from being connected to one another. On Shabbat we are to
contract and hold back from what we physically know we can do, but make a
rational decision not to do. Our rest is touching the infinite.

 

 Rabbi Yochanan said  in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai that if all the Jews were to
observe just two Shabbats, redemption would come immediately (Talmud Tractate
Shabbat 118A). In liberal Jewish terms, we have the power to redeem
ourselves by taking time out for rest and renewal each week.

As Moses did an accounting in the beginning of this parasha, so should we
do a weekly spiritual accounting, Talmudically called cheshbon ha nefesh. The
last  day of each month is called Yom Kippur Katan (small day of atonement).
We do not need to wait until autumn's Yom Kippur to reflect, ask for
forgiveness, and grow as people. We have the power to do so regularly.

The rabbis teach that if a person sincerely does this cheshbon 80 times, he
will emerge as a new person with a new ruach (spirit). We can regain our
sanctity regularly. We do not have to wait for the cloud to lift and be given an
invitation to reach God. We have the ability to do so regularly. If we
only use this ability, our lives would benefit immensely.

In last week's parasha we were told of the 13-year old Bezalel who God
picked  to construct the Mishkan and its artifacts. The name Bezalel means "in
the  shadow of God."

 

 In Psalm 91:01, it states that "he who sits alone most
high, will abide within the shadow of God." The Talmud in Tractate Shavuot 15B,
says that the Mishkan itself may be considered to be the shadow of the
Shekinah and its purpose was to allow the Divine Presence or the Shadow
of  God into this world.

 

 Nachmanides writes that the purpose of the Mishkan
was to keep the experiences of Sinai with us in all of our travels. As Isaiah
spoke (Is 11:06), in his messianic prophesy, "a little child will lead
them." May we all work on developing a "wise and understanding heart"
(I Kings 3:09), like Bezalel, Moses, and King Solomon so that we can keep
God's presence inside each of us and walk humbly in His shadow each day.

Chazak Chazak Vinitchazek!!! Be strong, be strong, and may we be strong
for one another!!!

Shabbat Shalom,
RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL

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